One of the biggest story lines of the first-round series between the Flyers and Penguins is the still-unfamiliar sight of Jaromir Jagr, a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh at the beginning of his career, skating in the orange and black of Philadelphia and playing the role of Public Enemy No. 1 in western Pennsylvania.

It turned out, at least in Game 1, that the focus was on the wrong Flyers winger from Kladno, Czech Republic.

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Jakub Voracek, born in the same town as Jagr, but a full 17 1/2 years later, scored the overtime goal that capped the Flyers’ comeback from a three-goal deficit on Wednesday night to take the early advantage in the bitter rivals’ best-of-seven 2012 NHL playoffs series. It was the 22-year-old’s first goal in five career playoff games, having gotten a taste of the postseason as a rookie with the 2009 Blue Jackets, so Voracek has only 168 to go to catch his legendary teammate.

“He’s very popular,” Voracek said of Jagr. “Even now, the hockey players, the little hockey players who are 6 or 7 years old, they’re looking up to him.”

It was not so long ago that Voracek was that age and looking up to Jagr himself. Jagr’s two Stanley Cups with the Penguins came before Voracek’s third birthday.

“I’m sure he idolized him as a young kid growing up in Kladno,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told Sporting News. “Having the opportunity to play with him now, it’s pretty special. You can see when they’re sitting together in the dressing room, Jakub’s got these big, wide eyes, looking at him. Obviously, Jaromir is a special player, and probably more special in the Czech Republic. I think Jakub is still in awe, really.”

It’s something that Jagr knows, and something the playful veteran won’t let his young countryman forget. With Voracek a few feet away, Jagr raised his voice just enough to make sure that he was heard when he said, “He doesn’t want to listen to me! He thinks he knows everything. Look at him! Nobody listens. … I was his idol. He wanted to be just like me.”

This season, that wound up being pretty close to the case, at least from a purely statistical standpoint. Jagr, back from a three-year sojourn in Russia’s KHL, had 19 goals and 35 assists in 73 games. Voracek, acquired by Philadelphia from Columbus in last summer’s Jeff Carter trade, established a career high with 18 goals, adding 31 assists in 78 games.

“He played on a tough team in Columbus, and I think he did very well,” said Radek Dvorak, the Dallas Stars’ Czech winger. “It’s tough to play for them, where basically every season they’re one of the last teams in the league. It’s tough to play there, but I think he proved he can play. He’s an offensive-oriented guy, and he can skate. He’s a power forward—big guy who can score and can skate, and that’s a great fit for Philly.”

In a way, Voracek’s three seasons in Columbus now feel like an apprenticeship. While Voracek came to North America at 17, scoring 56 goals over two seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, he needed time to develop physically. At the time of the 2007 NHL draft, Voracek was listed at 6-1, 187 pounds. Now, he checks in at 6-2, 214. That is a big difference, especially for a power forward, and with further development in his game, there is no reason that Voracek cannot be a consistent 20-goal scorer in the NHL, occasionally cracking 30 as his career goes on.

This was the first time in his NHL career that Jagr failed to score 20 goals, but his impact on a one-year contract went beyond the pucks that he put in the net. For a team looking to claim the Cup for the first time since 1975, when Jagr was 3 years old and most of his teammates were barely twinkles in their parents’ eyes, adding a legend was an excellent way to help foster a young, talented group of players that includes Voracek and rookies Sean Couturier, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn.

“Just looking at him every day and being with him every day, you learn a lot and you know why he’s that good,” Couturier said. “He does all the little stuff off the ice that sometimes you don’t really recognize—nutrition, training, the rest. You learn from those guys and it makes you a better player.”

Voracek echoed that sentiment, saying, “He’s a future Hall of Famer, one of the best to ever play the game, and I try to learn as much as possible, seeing him every day.” Being around a legend helps, but credit for unlocking the potential that made him the No. 7 overall pick in 2007 also must go to Voracek himself for making the most of the opportunity when he changed teams.

“He’s getting more responsibility—penalty kill, power play—I don’t think he was in that situation before,” Jagr said. “That’s what happens on a new team. I mean, he was drafted in the first round. He’s got the talent. He’s strong on his skates, and he can skate like a horse. That’s his advantage, he’s strong and fast.”

The Penguins learned that the hard way in Game 1, as Voracek started the the Flyers’ winning sequence by fighting off Jordan Staal for the puck, then snuck toward the net as the play developed to bang home the game-winner. Voracek may have wanted to be just like Jagr when he was growing up, but Philadelphia does not need the young Czech to emulate the old one—they have both.